After seeing the preview for I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, I started to write this little fic (great episode, btw - Hilarie and Matt did a fantastic job). It takes place after that terrifying night -small spoilers if you haven't seen the episode yet!! leave a review, please.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything OTH related

The choice of distraction was The Princess Bride, the second movie of the night for Peyton and Lucas. Distractions were just about the only thing keeping Peyton sane for the past week and a half. Although they never completely erased that horrific night, she was thankful Lucas was at least trying.

"Luke?" her voice was soft and fragile.

"Yeah?" he replied through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Thank you,"

He quickly swallowed and looked at her, "For what?"

"For everything - fixing the window, staying with me every night…saving me from…"

"You don't have to thank me, Peyton. Plus I had a little help from your real brother,"

"God, I feel like such a girl," she laughed pathetically at herself, "I can't even stay in my own house at night,"

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. A lot happened in this house. It's normal to feel this way. Besides, I should be thanking you…it's a little too dark outside to walk home alone," Lucas pretended to shiver at the thought.

"Oh, stop," she laughed. "You're such a girl,"

Peyton's attention wandered back to the movie. Lucas was glad that the movie was letting Peyton escape her distressful world, even if it was only for an hour and a half at a time. He hated him for what that psycho had put her through. He took advantage of her vulnerability. He stalked her. He even had the sick nerve of terrorizing her in her own house. Lucas never hated someone so much.

Trust. She didn't have much of that to give, but she learned how to because Ellie taught her that. Unfortunately the first person she decided to let in without hesitation turned out to be an obsessed impostor. But it wasn't her fault. He had them all fooled, at first. Lucky for all of them, especially Peyton, he slipped. And there he was again – not Nathan, not Mouth, not even her father, but Lucas – coming to her rescue.

Lucas looked over at her. Just before Westley and Buttercup could live happily ever after, Peyton nodded off. That was Lucas's cue to carry her up to her room. There was no hint or reminder of the vandalism that creep did. Lucas had spent hours tearing down the pictures. Although the pictures of Peyton were beautiful, they belonged to him. But Peyton didn't belong to him. She never did.

It took Lucas an entire afternoon to get rid of every little trace of him because Lucas didn't want Peyton to come home to be reminded of that night. It took another day for Lucas and Derek, her real brother, to fix the window. The day after that, Peyton was ready to move back home. Of course it terrified her that he was still out there, but she wasn't going to let him take over her thoughts or her life. Nobody wanted to let her move back home alone either. They all agreed that she was safer staying at Karen's house, but Peyton was stubborn.

Gently he laid her down on her bed. As he started to tuck her in, she opened her eyes.

"Stay with me," she tiredly whispered.

"I am," he reminded her, "I'm not going anywhere," It was one of the two conditions Karen made her promise if she were to move back home - Lucas was to stay with her until her father returned home.

"No, I mean in my bed," Peyton sat up. "Luke come on, you've been staying here for the past week and half – that floor must be hell on your back. And it's not like we haven't slept in the same bed before,"

That was Karen's second condition – the two teens could not sleep in the same bed.

"The floor is just fine. Peyton. We promised my mom, remember? Besides what would your dad say if he came home in the middle of the night?"

Peyton sadly shook her head, "My dad's not coming home,"

"He is, Peyt. Once the hurricane in Florida lets up, which could be any minute now, he'll be here," he reassured her doubts. "Now get back to sleep,"

"Lucas…" she whined.

"Peyton," he said sternly, "Bed. Now,"

"You sound like a parent," Peyton mumbled as she laid back down and let him tuck her back in.

"Goodnight, Peyton," said Lucas as he got comfortable in his sleeping bag on the floor.

"Night, Luke,"

The hardwood floor was hell on Lucas's back. The first few nights weren't so bad, but after a week, it started to take a toll. He grimaced in pain as he tried to sit up with his stiff back. Slowly and quietly, he got up and stretched a bit. Lucas took a peek at Peyton who was still sleeping peacefully. It had taken a couple of days for Peyton to sleep through the night. Content that she would sleep through another night, Lucas headed towards the bathroom. He was halfway there when he heard a noise coming from downstairs.

Lucas froze. He listened carefully, hoping that it was just his imagination. It wasn't. He heard a door close. It had to be the front door. Someone had just entered the house. Listening to the footsteps, Lucas knew they were too heavy to be his mother's. Lucas went back to the bed, but instead of waking her up, he quickly picked up the baseball bat that they kept between her bed and his. He stood beside the bedroom door, out of view, and waited with the baseball bat in swinging position.

The heavy footsteps came up the stairs. The floor boards seemed to creak louder the closer the intruder got to the room. Lucas's heart quickened as did his breathing. His palms were sweaty. He was scared, but ready to protect Peyton.

The intruder appeared at the doorway. He stood there for a few seconds and just stared at the sleeping blonde in her bed. He was about the step forward but someone jumped out in his path. A bat, inches from his face, threatened him. He had no choice but to stumble back into the dimly lit hallway, lighting his familiar face up.

"Mr. Sawyer?" Lucas slowly lowered the bat and let out a sigh of relief.

"Trade the rake for a bat now, rake boy?" Larry glared at the younger man who scared the day lights out of him.

"Sorry," Lucas scratched his head, "I um…I totally slept on the floor,"

Larry's face softened. He trusted Lucas, after all, he did save his daughter, twice in a span of three months. Where Lucas slept didn't matter to him at the moment. Larry's main concern was Peyton.

"How is she?" he knelt down at his daughter's bedside. Tears formed in his eyes at the thought of losing the one thing he had left in this cruel world.

"She's fine now. She's sleeping through the night now,"

"I don't think I would ever forgive myself if something happened to her. Thank you, Lucas. You don't know how grateful I am to you…"

"I'm just glad she's safe now. Look, I'm gonna let you have some time alone…but I would like to talk to you, sir,"

Larry didn't look away from Peyton. He only nodded and Lucas left the room.

Larry took a sip of his coffee and waited for Lucas to say something. Ever since Larry sat down across from Lucas at the kitchen table, Lucas didn't say a word, nor did he look at him.

"So, Lucas. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I just don't get it, you know. After all Peyton's been through, she didn't deserve to go through this. Nobody does,"

"I know, Luke…" Larry started to say.

Lucas shook his head. For the first time since that violent night, Lucas was finally getting all of his feelings out. He wasn't able to before because he wanted to be strong for Peyton. He wanted her to be able to lean on him and count on him and he couldn't do that if he let his feelings get to him. It wasn't anger that he was haunting him. It wasn't hate that consumed him either. It's was fear. Every word Lucas had said to Larry stemmed from fear - a fear of losing Peyton.

"No," Lucas looked Larry in the eye for the first time, "You don't know. You don't know how scared she was. You didn't see him…he tried to…" Lucas choked back his tears at the thought. "You don't know how scared I was…how scared I still am, knowing he's still out there. You know, I can't even sleep at night because I wander - what if I didn't get to her in time? What if…"

"Lucas, look at me," Larry stared at Lucas, "You got to her in time. Peyton is upstairs, safe because of you. She's alive and safe…"

"Yeah, but what about you?" Lucas's emotions were getting the best of him and perhaps, rightfully so.

"Lucas," he guiltily sighed.

"I get that you weren't able to protect her from getting shot. No one could have, but this…you should have been home. You're her father, Mr. Sawyer. You are supposed to be home. You are supposed to be home to protect her!"

"Don't you think I know that Lucas? And I sure as hell don't need a seventeen year old boy telling me how careless of a father I've been. I am not a perfect father and I am sorry. I know Peyton deserves better,"

"Yeah, she does. So what are you going to do about it? Be home for a few weeks and then go back off to sea for who knows how long?"

"Lucas, I know you saved my little girl, twice, and you've been through a lot, but you are stepping over the line,"

"Maybe I am. But what's it going to take to make you see that Peyton needs you in her life. She always has. She just never admitted it because she knows how much you love your job. Peyton needs her father more than…"

Larry was cut of by a hair-raising shriek coming from upstairs.

"LUCAS!" Peyton screamed. "LUCAS!"

Both men jumped up and ran out of the room. Lucas was first up the stairs, climbing two steps at a time, "Peyton," he called out.

"Lucas," She emerged from her room, her face stained with tears. When she finally spotted him, an overwhelming feeling of relief surged through her body as she ran down the hall into his arms. "I had another dream and when I woke up. You weren't there. I got scared, Luke. I thought he…"

"Shh…don't be scared," he held her closer to him, "I'm right here," He leaned back and made her look up at him. He cupped her face and wiped her scared tears with the pads of his thumbs, "I'm always here for you, remember that,"

Peyton nodded before burying her face back into his chest. She hadn't yet seen her father who was standing a few feet away from Lucas. Larry's heart broke. He had never seen his daughter so scared or so vulnerable before. Peyton had always been a strong girl. She hardly ever cried or was scared of anything. Right then and there he knew that no matter how much he loved his job, he loved his daughter more.

"Hey, and you know who else is here for you?" Lucas said to her.

Peyton looked up at Lucas and then over his shoulder and smiled when she saw her father.

It was a big night for the seniors of Tree Hill High but also a worrisome night for the fathers of Tree Hill. It was prom night. But it wasn't the actual prom that worried the fathers who had daughters attending one of the biggest nights of senior year. It was what happened afterwards.

Larry answered the door to find Lucas dressed in a black tux. Lucas was perhaps the only boy in Tree Hill he could trust his daughter with, but that trust didn't matter that night. Lucas was still a teenage boy, taking his daughter to the prom and to the after party.

"Lucas," Larry mumbled and let him in the house.

"Evening, sir," Lucas smiled.

Larry closed the front door and took a quick glance at the stairs. Peyton wasn't ready yet, which meant Larry still had a little time to have a quick chat with Lucas. He patted Lucas on the shoulder. Lucas knew it wasn't a friendly pat, but more of fatherly, protective gesture.

"So, Lucas, tell me. What exactly are you intentions tonight?"

"Huh?" Lucas nervously gulped.

"Oh, I mean, what exactly do you have planned for you two young love birds?" Larry grinned. It wasn't often that he got Lucas to squirm and he was enjoying every second of it.

"Well, sir…the limo is going to take us to the prom,"

"Directly to the prom," Larry said in a tone that wasn't a question, but more of an order.

Lucas nodded, "Directly,"

"Go on…"

"Then, um…over to Nathan's beach house for the party,"

"Where you will not take Peyton to any room alone where…"

"Ahem," Peyton cleared her throat at the top of the stairs to announce her presence. Both boys looked up and their jaws dropped at her beauty. Carefully and gracefully, Peyton came down the stairs.

"Wow. You look..." Lucas felt like he couldn't breathe.

"You look beautiful, honey," Larry offered his hand as she reached the bottom step.

"You're so beautiful, Peyt,"

"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself," she blushed.

Lucas leaned in for a quick kiss but a sudden flash of a bulb stopped him.

"Ok, pictures!" Larry excitedly announced.

Peyton groaned, "Daddy,"

"Hey, I'm the father here and if I want to embarrass you in front of your date by taking a thousand pictures, I will. Now stand beside your rake boy there and smile,"

After what seemed like the hundredth pose, Larry took the last photo. "Alright, well I think I've got enough. Have a good time, you two,"

"Wait," Lucas suddenly said, "Why don't I get a picture of the two of you first?"

Both Sawyers looked at Lucas with the same surprised face before smiling at how thoughtful Lucas was. Lucas came down the stairs and took the camera from Larry as he took his place beside Peyton.

"He's a good boy," Larry whispered in his daughter's ear.

"Yeah, he is," she smiled.

Lucas took a few pictures of the father and daughter before it was really time to go.

Larry watched from the doorway as Lucas opened the limousine's door for Peyton. "Curfew is still midnight!" Larry called out.

"What? Dad!" Peyton turned to protest, "It's prom night!"

"I know," Larry grinned and waved.

"Two," she yelled back.

"One…"

"One-thirty," she bargained.

"Not a second later,"

Peyton groaned loudly. As frustrated as she was with having her father home all the time, she was glad that he was.